The Forest of Faeries
by Spring Witch
Summary: Young Draco Malfoy never really believed his father's faery stories until, wandering in the forest outside their manor one evening, he met one of the Fae Folk first hand. Harry/Draco, rating subject to change.
1. Prologue: Ampelos and Aigerios

Hello and welcome to my latest attemp at a Harry/Draco story. In this I am going to take a HUGE amount of liberties with Greek Mythology... but it should be fun, don't you think! This is going to be a very short prologue, but it's designed that way for background effect. I should have the next chapter up in a few days, maybe even tomorrow if I'm really on top of things!

So, without further ado, here we go!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters!**

* * *

**The Forest of Faeries**

**Prologue:**

**Ampelos and Aigerios**

**Summer - 1479**

Smoke curled through the underbrush of the woods, making it hard to see in the twilight hours. The screams of woodland animals rent the night as those who couldn't escape the flames burned inside their homes. The Faeries of the forest fled the fire; the dryads took flight from their trees keening in distress, while naiads dove, terrified, to the bottom of their lake, seeking refuge in the caves deep below the surface.

As the tops of the tallest trees caught fire and flames licked at their trunks, a pair of dryads, one male and one female, tried desperately to escape.

"That bastard!" the male swore. "He's lit the whole place up this time!"

He turned to his philedonos, his mate. "Lily, you need to get out of here. I'm going to stay and see what I can do to help."

"James no!" the female cried. "I won't leave without you!"

"Lily you must." James told her gently. "You have to protect our son. We're as good as dead anyway." He looked down at a small bundle in Lily's arms. "The fire had spread too far, and already I feel myself dying. You must keep him safe."

Lily looked up at him with dry eyes, long past weeping now. She knew their fate as well as he did. She kissed her philedonos farewell, knowing that this would likely be the last she would see of him. "The Gods will punish that man for this." She told him firmly, and he smiled at her grim satisfaction in that knowledge.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She replied, before fleeing into the smoke.

* * *

It was three days before the mortals were able to successfully put out the blaze lit by one Tom Marvolo Riddle. Lily had been right; the Gods punished him for his sin. He was punished for his crimes slowly and painfully, and was condemned to die by burning… he who sets a fire, dies by fire.

Inside the forest, those who had survived were left to pick up the pieces of their destroyed homes and to mourn the dead. Burned and charred bodies were strewn everywhere, some burned beyond recognition. In the centre of the glade lay James, burned badly. He had been right; and he had died helping others of the forest. The naiads rose from the water for the first time in days, a mournful song on their lips.

Lily and the baby were nowhere in sight.

They were found, in the end, by another dryad. James's best friend, an Ash dryad known as Sirius uncovered her body just outside of the fire torn area. Her skin was unblemished and it appeared as though she were merely sleeping. Sirius, weeping for his friends, searched frantically for the child, hoping that it still lived. A cry came suddenly from under Lily's body, and Sirius lifted the child into his arms, vowing to care for this lucky dryad-child as long as he lived.

* * *

Okay... short I know, but hopefully you like where this is going. As for the term I'm using for the term 'mate', 'philedonos', I don't speak Greek, and I had a hard time finding an internet translator that translated into English letters and not Greek letters. As far as I can tell, it means 'lover' and it was the best I could do. If anyone out there speaks Greek and has a better word for me to use, please let me know! As for the terms Ampelos and Aigerios, they are types of Hamadryad that I discovered while doing some background research for this story. For those of you who want to know what a Hamadryad is, you will find out soon, I promise!

Please leave a review, I'd love to know what you think!


	2. The Lonely Prince

Wow… I can't believe that I got 13 reviews for that tiny little prologue!! Thank you all so very, very much!

This chapter is essentially set up for the rest of the story. It basically consists of character introductions and backgrounds, and descriptions of which faery is what. Still, there is plot, and I hope you all like it.

OK, now I have some shout-outs to attend to, since I promised my readers over in the Harry/Lucius section that I would if they read anything else. So, to **Ryo-sama**, **thrnbrooke** and **TutelaTwin**, thank you so much for being such faithful readers, I appreciate the support. Even when it sometimes takes forever for me to update, you still keep reading, and I'm grateful.

Also, for **Amaya Tsuki-sempai**, don't worry if you don't recognise this. You might recognise some of the other names I've put in this chapter. Not to mention I'm making a lot of stuff up to fit the story.

So without further ado, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters.**

* * *

**The Forest of Faeries**

**Chapter One:**

**The Lonely Prince**

**Summer – 1862**

Draco Malfoy, the only child of the wealthy Lucius Malfoy, had never believed in Faeries until this day. His father had told him stories of the creatures that were supposed to live in the giant forest that bordered the Malfoy property since he was a small child, but never once had he truly believed him until now.

Lucius had always instilled in him, just as his own father had, to protect the Fae Forest, as it had become known, with all his power as a Malfoy, and in return the faeries treated them and the villagers with respect. Draco had never had a problem with protecting the wood, he'd just never believed in its occupants.

Until now.

On this particular day, Draco had been busy making preparations for a wedding he didn't want, a bride he couldn't stand, and wishing that he could be anywhere but where he was.

"Now Draco, your bride is to arrive at the end of the week." His father informed him. "I trust you to be respectful and kind towards her."

Draco grimaced. "Yes father." He said glumly.

Lucius sighed. "I'm not going to force you into it Draco, but you do at least need to meet her. The girl's mother was your mother's best friend, and the arrangement was made before you were born. There is little I can do unless you refuse her at the end of the allotted time period."

Draco sighed again, but he understood his father's position. Old and magical families like the Malfoys betrothed their children often before they were born in order to secure the next generation. The moment the pregnant witch knew the sex of their child they were married off to a suitable family. He was grateful that his father had convinced his mother to add a clause to the contract that allowed him to withdraw from the marriage at the end of the formal courting period.

"Just one month?" he asked his father.

Lucius smiled. "Just one month Draco." he agreed. "Unless of course you come to like the girl in the meantime." He added with wry humour.

Draco snorted at that. His father knew as well as he did where his preferences lay. And even if he had been straight, he still doubted that he'd have felt any attraction to the pug faced Parkinson girl.

Lucius laughed at the incredulous look on his son's face. "Go on, get out of here." He said, waving his son away.

The young man left his father's office with a grin, stopping only to greet his father's husband on his way out. He paused briefly to turn and watch them, smiling as Severus kissed his father lightly and stroked his fingers through the bond's hair as they talked.

Draco sighed to himself. He wanted for himself what his father and his dad had together. Lucius and Severus had been together since their teenage years, until Lucius's parents, Draco's grandparents, had announced his betrothal to Narcissa Black, his mother. When Draco's mother had died in childbirth, Lucius had barely gotten through the appropriate mourning period before he married Severus. Draco was happy to have two fathers, and hoped that one day he would find a love like theirs.

Suddenly depressed, Draco decided to take a walk. He was walking across the giant entrance hall towards the doors when Blaise Zabini, his best friend, hailed him from the top of the stairs. "Draco! I'm heading into town for a bit of fun! Care to join me?" he asked mischievously.

Draco rolled his eyes at his friend. "Again? No thanks, I'll pass." He replied.

Blaise shrugged. "Your loss." He said.

Draco grinned at him. "You know, you are so lucky we live in a Wizarding village and that no one cares about your sexuality. If you were a Muggle you'd be dead already." He informed him.

Blaise laughed. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a Muggle, isn't it?" he shot back.

Draco shook his head. "The villagers will be glad when you go home, I think."

Blaise's laughter echoed as he left the manor.

Draco shook his head again and continued on his way. Sometimes he wished he could be like Blaise, and have indiscriminate sex with whatever man he pleased. Blaise didn't particularly care who he fucked so long as they were willing. Draco couldn't do that; the one night stands. He wasn't completely inexperienced, but there was never any joy in sleeping with someone he didn't love.

His mood turning serious again, Draco made his way into the woods. The trees just had this feel about it that always calmed him when he felt like things were getting the better of him.

As he wandered, he found himself in a part of the forest he'd never seen before. It seemed lighter and even more soothing from than the rest of the forest. Suddenly, Draco halted as clear, melodic voices floated down the path towards him. Slowly, mesmerised by the voices, Draco followed the sound, his heart lifting as he heard a lilting harmony mingling with the other voices.

Slowly, carefully, Draco crept forward, spellbound by the voice and its counterparts. He didn't know if he was really under a spell or not, but he could not bring himself to care.

When he finally walked into the edge of the glade, many things happened at once. One was that the singing stopped. Another was that there were sudden, but small splashes in the lake at the centre of the glade. Draco barely noticed this, as his eyes were fixed on the beautiful figure standing by the edge of the lake. It was a boy, who appeared to be his age, with black hair and eyes of a deep emerald green. Draco was entranced.

The boy moved like the wind, disappearing into the trees. "No! Don't go!" Draco cried as he vanished. "Please wait, I won't hurt you!"

But there was no answer. Disappointed, Draco decided he would wait and see if the beautiful creature would return. He sat by the lake's edge and waited, wondering if the boy was from the village. No, he decided, he couldn't be from the village; he would have remembered beauty such as that.

His father's Faery stories suddenly came to mind. Could this boy be something out of his father's stories? If so, then what? Now that he thought about it, the boy had been wearing what had looked like leaves and grasses on his body.

Day turned into night as he mulled this question over in his mind. The beautiful boy had not returned. Dejected, Draco returned home, resolved to revisit the glade until he found the boy once more.

* * *

It was several weeks before Draco saw the boy again. Every night the young lord entered the forest, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the nymph that had entranced him so.

But in all the nights Draco had searched the forest, he never found the glade again, no matter how far he walked, or how long he tried.

Now, tonight, Draco again left the manor in search of the glade, and the nymph. He wandered fruitlessly for hours, and it was near midnight, when he was finally about to return home, that he heard a noise behind him. Draco spun around sharply when he heard the sound of a branch snapping. Behind him stood an old man, not one of the village elders, of that he was certain. He would've remembered a beard that long.

"Well my boy, I must say you've incredible resilience, to return night after night in search of the glade." The man said jovially, his bright blue eyes twinkling madly.

"You know where to find it?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Perhaps." The man replied calmly. "Why do you wish to find it?"

Draco thought about his answer for a moment, before deciding on the truth. "Because I wish to meet the boy I saw there once again."

There was a moment's silence, and then the old man chuckled. "An honest answer, Draco Malfoy, and I am glad. Anything less and I would not have taken you to the glade."

"How do you know my name?" Draco demanded curiously.

The elderly man smiled. "All the nymphs in this part of the forest know the Malfoy family." He replied. "Although you've grown somewhat since last I saw you." He added.

"And that would've been…?" Draco prompted.

"The day you were born." Came the reply. "The forest elders have always attended important Malfoy family occasions, as thanks for protecting our home." The man smiled again. "Ah! But listen to me, rambling on like that! Come, I will take you to the glade."

Draco followed him deep into the forest, quickly losing his bearings. "I don't remember coming this far in before." He said.

"The glade can never be found in the same place two nights in a row." The man told him. "It might take months or even years before it returns to the place where you found it. Those who can find it on their own have a magical bond with it. If you plan to return after tonight, someone will need to lead you to its location."

As they neared the glade, Draco again began to hear that beautiful voice that had so enchanted him on his first visit to the glade. As the old man led him into the clearing Draco's eyes rested instantly on the figure of the boy he had been searching for, singing with a trio of other creatures that were sitting on the edge of the nearby pool.

The movement of the two entering the clearing alerted the boy to their presence. He froze, and seemed to be on the verge of bolting, when the old man called out to him. "Don't worry Harry, he means no harm."

"Albus?" the boy asked warily.

"Harry, this is Draco Malfoy." The man, Albus, told the boy. "He wanted to meet you."

"Me?" the boy seemed mystified by the idea.

"Yes, you." Draco said with a gentle smile.

The boy blushed lightly, a trait Draco found to be utterly adorable. He nodded his thanks to Albus and moved slowly towards the boy. "Hello." He said softly. "My name is Draco. Your name is Harry, am I right?"

The boy nodded. "That's right." he replied.

Albus chuckled to himself and melted into the trees.

Draco finally came face to face with Harry, and saw that up close, the boy was even more beautiful than he had thought. His emerald eyes glittered brightly, the colour matching the leaves on some of the surrounding trees. His ebony hair glistened in the sunlight.

"Can we sit and talk for a while?" Draco asked him. "I would like to get to know you."

They sat down by the edge of the pool. Harry looked nervous, and Draco smiled encouragingly. "What do you want to know?" the boy asked him.

"Well, for give me for asking," Draco began, "but you are a faery are you not?"

"Yes." Harry replied.

"A wood nymph?" Draco pressed.

Harry nodded. "I am a dryad." He said. "Actually, a hamadryad to be more precise."

Draco nodded to himself. A dryad… that made sense, he supposed. Dryads were tree nymphs, and each dryad had a tree that it inhabited. It certainly explained the boy's quick getaway the first time they met. The other name, however, confused him. "What is a hamadryad?" he asked. "A sub-category of dryad?"

Harry nodded again. "Yes. You know that dryads inhabit trees; that an oak dryad inhabits an oak tree and so on?" Draco bobbed his head once in conformation. "A normal dryad can attach itself to any tree; if the tree its living in dies for some reason it simply moves to another tree of the same variety, one without a dryad." Harry continued.

"All right, I'm with you so far." Draco said.

"A hamadryad shares it soul with its tree. If the tree dies, then so does its hamadryad. I reside in a Hawthorne tree not far from here, and I am the only hamadryad in this part of the forest."

Draco was silent for a moment as he absorbed this information. Then he looked up at Harry. "Are hamadryads rare?" he asked him. "Is that why you're the only one in this area?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It's just that hamadryads are generally shyer and a more reclusive than other types of dryads. Others like me tend to live further into the forest, or nearer to the smaller villages."

"Then how did you come to be here?" Draco asked.

Harry sighed and shrugged slightly. "My parents were killed in a fire in another part of the forest in 1479. My mother died saving me." his fingers went to his forehead, and Draco saw a small scar shaped like a lightening bolt there. "A friend of my father's found me after the fire burnt out and brought me here, to his home."

Draco felt bad for the boy. "I'm sorry." He said.

"What for?" Harry asked. "I have a wonderful family right here that loves me." he smiled. "Why don't you come and meet them?"

Draco returned the smile, his heart beating rapidly in his chest at the sight of it. "I'd love to." He answered.

Harry looked around. "I don't see any of the dryads around." He commented. "I'll call them out, and then introduce you to some of the other faeries that live around here." He let out a long, melodic and somewhat mournful sounding cry that sent shivers down Draco's spine.

"There." Harry said, satisfaction in his voice. "They should be here any moment. I'm sure they all will want to meet you."

"Why would they want to meet me?" Draco asked, mystified.

"Because you're the Malfoy heir." Harry told him matter-of-factly. "The heirs to the Malfoy family always wander in here eventually. Your father did, when he was about twenty or so. Just before he married your mother if I'm not mistaken."

Draco pulled a wry face. It was hard to believe that Harry was centuries older than he was, when he looked like he was a couple of years younger. "You've met my father?" he asked.

"Oh no," Harry said. "Only the elders are permitted usually. You, Draco Malfoy, are an anomaly."

For some reason, this rather pleased Draco.

Harry looked around, his eyes scanning the line of trees. "They're not here yet, so I'll introduce you to some of my other friends." He told the blond boy with a small smile.

Leaning over, the boy dipped his hand into the cool, clear waters of the pool and splashed around a little. As if in answer to the ripples, three heads bobbed up out of the water, startling Draco with their sudden appearance.

The three boys appeared to be startled by him too, and they had nearly dived back beneath the surface when Harry stopped them. "Its all right guys, he won't harm you."

The three boys nodded uncertainly and pulled themselves out of the water, sitting on rocks near the edge of the pool closest to Harry, and furthest away from Draco. Draco stared as he realised the three of them sported tails in place if legs.

"Draco Malfoy, these are Neville, Seamus and Dean. They're Naiads." Harry introduced them.

'_Naiads'_ Draco thought. _'Water nymphs.'_ And he saw that their skin had the slightest blue tinge to it, and that their tails had suddenly become legs.

He bowed to them from his seated position. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." he said politely.

The one called Seamus grinned back at him, and Draco could tell that this one was a real character. "Of course it is!" he said merrily. "We _are_ the most amazing people you'll ever meet!"

The dark skinned one, Dean; Draco remembered, rolled his eyes and shoved Seamus off the rock so that he landed back in the water with an indignant cry. "Don't mind him." He told the young lord. "He is yet to master the fine art of keeping his mouth shut."

Seamus pouted up at him. "But you love me anyway." He said cheerfully.

Dean sighed with mock weariness. "Sad, but true." He replied, and Neville giggled.

Draco laughed. He liked these three.

There was suddenly a quiver of movement from the trees, and Harry looked up with a grin. "They're here." He said.

Draco followed Harry's gaze, and saw a group of people emerging from the tree line. He admitted to feeling a little jealous when Harry leapt up and threw his arms around one of the men. "Hello Sirius!"

The man called Sirius laughed. "Hello Harry." He replied.

Harry smiled and turned to Draco. "Draco, this is Sirius. He's an Ash dryad, and the one who found me when my parents died."

"I guess you could say that I'm Harry's Godfather." Sirius said, slinging his arm around the dark haired boy's shoulders.

Sirius soon had to duck out of the way as Harry was attacked by a tribe of red-headed boys. Harry, squealing and laughing, disappeared under a sea of red hair and freckles. Draco watched, bemused, as Harry fought his way out from under them and ran to hide behind him. "Draco, these are the Weasley family. The idiots that attacked me are Bill, Charlie, Fred, George and Ron. The other one back there is Percy. They are Elm trees, like their dad." The red haired dryads all grinned and waved. All except Percy, who merely nodded curtly. "That lady over there is their mum, Molly, who is the dryad of an Elder tree, and the girl is their sister Ginny, who is also an Elder."

"Hello dear," Molly, a short plump woman with a slightly careworn face, said kindly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hello Ma'am." Draco replied with a smile and a bow.

Another girl emerged from the trees. "That's Hermione." Harry told him. "She belongs to a Silver Birch about a mile from here." The girl smiled as she stood by Ginny Weasley. "She's really smart too. She knows almost everything about this part of the forest, and almost as much as Albus and Minerva." The girl blushed under Harry's compliments.

As if on cue, Albus appeared with an elder female dryad close behind him. "Albus you've met. He is an Oak dryad and our senior elder in this area of the forest. The lady with him is elder Minerva, and she is a Willow dryad." He pointed to a large weeping willow overshadowing the naiads' pool.

Draco could have stayed there in the glade forever. It was a happy, bright place even in the middle of the night. It seemed eons away from home and its problems.

"Well," Albus said at last. "It is almost dawn, Draco. You should go home and get some sleep. One of the dryads will escort you back to the manor."

"I will!" Harry leapt up. Draco bid his farewells to the faeries and went with Harry from the clearing.

As they walked towards the manor, little blue faeries flew around their heads, one landing on Harry's shoulder and chattering in his ear. Draco watched, fascinated as Harry seemed to pay particular attention to what the little critter was saying. When it finally flew away, Harry rolled his eyes at Draco. "Nisses. They aren't the brightest creatures, but they're very talkative and love to gossip."

Draco couldn't help but stare at Harry as they walked. This boy was incredible, and he intended to find out as much about him as possible.

When they came to the edge of the forest, Harry stopped. "This is where I turn back." He said.

"Will I see you again?" Draco asked him softly.

Harry blushed. "If you enter the forest, someone will know and come to collect you." He replied. "But for now, I have to go."

Draco nodded, and on impulse, leant forward and pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek. "Goodnight." He whispered, and pulled a wry face as he remembered it was nearly dawn.

Harry smiled back at him. "Goodnight." He whispered back, and melted into the trees as silently as any ghost.

Draco walked back to the manor on cloud nine.

* * *

Tada! The end of the first chapter! So what does everybody think? If anyone wants me to add a glossary to the next chapter telling you what things are and what I've changed, please let me know! Anyone wanting information on dryads try Wikipedia, it was really helpful for background info. Anyone who wants information on the trees I'm using go to and follow the links. A lot of the trees I picked have a page on this site.

Until next time!


	3. The Chastity Tree

Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait, my only excuse I'm afraid is sheer laziness. This is a descriptive chapter, so that the fun can really begin in chapter 3!

I have added another character to my faeries, mostly for a little variation on tree faeries. Her name is Lilanthe, and I didn't create her. **MAJOR PLUG MOMENT!!! **I have borrowed Lilanthe from a series called _The Witches of Eileanan_ by an Australian author called Kate Forsyth. I have kept as true as possible to Lilanthe's back story and character, and if you love her as much as I do, I hope you will all go and hunt out these books. If you do find them, let me know, I would love to know what everyone thinks of them!!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters. Lilanthe belongs to Kate Forsyth.**

Dedicated to my cousin Adelle, who got me off my ass and made me write this for her! A printed copy of this chapter awaits her!!!

* * *

**The Forest of Faeries**

**Chapter 2**

"**The Chastity Tree"**

**Harry's POV**

I know I shouldn't like him as much as I do. We may look the same age physically, but in reality I am nearly four hundred years older than him. I have seen things that he can only read about in history books; things that happened centuries before his birth and I will see more long after his death.

This is part of the reason that dryads don't usually stick to one partner. We are flighty by nature; most of us love to sing and dance and sleep around to our hearts content. I love the singing and dancing part, but am yet to find anyone who takes my fancy. I'm to close to the dryads around here to want to sleep with them.

Dryads who love humans don't survive. Those of us who sleep humans usually do it because they can, not because they fell in love.

Not many dryads, or naiads for that matter, have a long lasting mate. Most females probably couldn't tell you who fathered each of their children, and in our world, that works just fine, since the faery folk are pretty indiscriminate any way. Men, women, it doesn't matter. All that _does_ matter is the pleasure to be had.

The Weasley's are a rare exception, to have so many children in one relationship. My parents were another. They just didn't live long enough to have more children. It is rare that a dryad will find their _philedonos_, a 'life mate' I suppose you could call it. Most never find theirs. I hope I do.

A dryad doesn't mature until its one hundred years old, and only then can it find its first mate. A young dryad lives in its mother's tree until it reaches one hundred, and then it is allowed to choose its own tree. The Weasley's all chose the same type of trees as their parents, which isn't unusual, but I chose a Hawthorn tree.

There's a certain irony about being the dryad of a Hawthorne tree. The Hawthorn tree represents chastity, which is funny when you think about the nature of dryads. Humans use the bark and leaves from my tree in wedding ceremonies and may poles… and there lies the irony. The Hawthorn tree, for chastity _and_ fertility. What a laugh.

So far, I've lived up to my tree's symbolism. At least, half of it any way. But I don't intend to stay that way, not by a long shot. I just haven't found the right person to fulfil the second part with yet.

Which brings me back to Draco Malfoy. The first time he came to the glade I had been singing with the naiads, and he took me by surprise. I heard my three friends dive under the water, Neville calling a low warning to me as he vanished into the lake. I bolted out of the clearing and towards my tree. I heard Draco cry out to us, but I kept running for all I was worth. Strictly speaking the humans aren't supposed to know we're here. As far as they're concerned, we're mythical creatures; humans are supposed to believe in us based on minimal proof. Only the Malfoy family was supposed to really know we exist. I had no idea he _was _a Malfoy at the time.

When I reached my tree, I climbed deep into its branches rather than merging with the tree like I usually would. I clung to the branches, my heart still pounding as I tried to calm down. My tree quivered questioningly, wanting to know if I was all right. I stroked the leaves gently, reassuring my tree that everything was fine. By now, it seemed that everyone in the forest knew the human was here. "Harry?" a voice called to me. I peered out and saw Hermione, a Silver Birch dryad, and Lilanthe, a tree-shifter that lived not far from me.

"Yes?" I asked, sounding calmer than I felt.

"There's a human hanging around here somewhere." Lilanthe sounded concerned.

"Yes, I know." I replied wryly. "He showed up in the glade while I was visiting the naiads."

Hermione gasped. "Oh Harry!" she exclaimed.

I sighed. "Everyone's fine Hermione." I told her. "We took off before he got too close."

"Well, that's a relief." Lilanthe sighed, shaking her floor length leafy green hair (and I mean literally leafy _and_ green) out from under her hard knobbly feet. "Albus and Minerva are still trying to find out who he is."

"So lay low for a while." Hermione told me sternly, and I nodded with a smile. She rolled her eyes at me, knowing full well that it wouldn't happen. Nevertheless, we stuck together for the next few hours, just in case the intruder meant to harm us. It was near dawn when my best friend Ron and his older twin brothers came to collect Hermione and walk her back to her tree safely. Lilanthe decided to spread her roots next to me for the night. I smiled at her, knowing that she wanted to keep an eye on me.

Lilanthe was like that; always looking after everyone as best she could, yet never expecting anyone to take care of her. Lilanthe, as I mentioned earlier, is a tree-shifter. She is the daughter of a tree-changer woman and a human man. She was raised by both her parents until she was ten, until her mother's wandering nature kicked in. After that her father became abusive, locking his daughter in the basement, away from the earth that was part of her heritage. Eventually, Lilanthe escaped her father, and the oppressive town she lived in and came here. We've been friends ever since.

Lilanthe transforms into a Weeping Greenberry tree, and shifting every night into her tree keeps her from feeling sick and disorientated. After all, her magic is in her tree-self. I smiled as I fell asleep, knowing she was taking care of me. As I dozed off, my thoughts went to the blond boy. Lilanthe seemed to know, because the Greenberry's branches quivers, and brushed gently against my Hawthorn.

*** * ***

We knew he came back every night looking for us, but he didn't find us for weeks. Lilanthe was keeping an eye on him (no one finds Lilanthe if she doesn't want to be found).

I'm fairly certain Albus knew who he was weeks before he allowed Draco into the glade again. I guess he wanted to test him. Albus is a pain like that.

When I overcame my fear of him, I realised how gentle and kind Draco was. I knew instinctively that he wouldn't hurt us. He was in awe of out world, and I could see his fascination with my family, and the smaller inhabitants of the forest, like the nisses that dart around non-stop. My heart nearly stopped when he asked if he could see me again. I don't know what this feeling is, but whatever it is, I don't want it to end.

* * *

**Normal POV**

When Draco awoke the next morning, for a moment he wondered why he felt so happy and content. Then he remembered, _Harry_, Draco smiled, unable to believe that he had met someone that was as beautiful and sweet as Harry. He couldn't wait to go back and see him again that night.

His daydreaming was interrupted by Blaise Zabini entering his room. "Are you going to get up at all today?" his friend demanded. "It's past noon."

Draco groaned. "Can't you knock?" he asked snarkily.

Blaise grinned. "Nope!" he replied.

Draco sat up in bed. "Why are you up anyway?" be queried. "I thought you were out all night."

Blaise grimaced. "I was home pretty early." He admitted.

"What's this?" Draco gasped in mock surprise. "Blaise Zabini not out all night sleeping with whoever comes along?" he pretended to faint.

"Very funny." Blaise replied sourly.

"Seriously though," Draco said, "What's wrong?"

Blaise sighed. "I don't know. None of the boys in town really appealed to me. I just don't understand it."

Draco grinned to himself, but said nothing. Perhaps Blaise, who had always liked to play around, was finally ready to settle down. Not, it appeared, that he knew it yet.

Blaise changed the subject. "Where were you last night?" he asked. "It's not like you to be out so late. I stuck my head in the door to say goodnight, but you weren't here."

"I went for a walk." Draco told him smoothly. It was _half_ the truth after all.

"Worried about the Parkinson girl?" Blaise asked kindly.

"Yes." Draco admitted. _That_ was the truth at least. _'Now more than ever!' _he thought.

"Dray, you and I both know that you have no intention of marrying the girl!" Blaise told him. "Chances are that she doesn't want to marry you either, so let her down easy and everything will be just fine. Now hurry up and get dressed, your father wants to see you."

'_Everything will be just fine, will it?'_ Draco thought wryly. _'I hope so…'_

Looking back, Draco would realise that he should've seen it coming.

"Why are we doing this again?" Draco groaned as the village stitch-witch pinned and tucked his new dress robes.

"Because your father told you to." Blaise reminded him with an impudent grin.

Draco grimaced as the stitch-witch waved her wand and the robes altered themselves.

This was the third pair that had been altered, and there were still three more pairs to go.

"Its times like this I hate being a Malfoy." He grumbled, and his friend chuckled. Obviously taking pity on him, the young stitch-witch made quick work of the last three sets of robes. "You're all done master Draco." she said cheerfully, wrapping the robes carefully. "I'll have them delivered to the manor by the end of the day."

"Thank you Sandrilene." Draco replied with a smile. She returned it and wished him luck with his fiancée.

As they walked through the village, Draco's eyes wandered idly, moving past the apothecary towards the jewellers. On impulse, Draco went over and looked into the window. Blaise followed curiously.

As Draco indifferently perused the window display, he stopped when he saw a piece that caught his eye. It was a delicate gold ring, shaped in the form of creeping rose vines, encrusted with tiny rubies for the roses and emeralds for the vines. It had a band of the thinnest gold, and was the most beautiful creation that Draco had ever seen.

Blaise watched, stunned, as Draco entered the jeweller's and purchased the ring on the spot. "Surely that can't be for the girl!" he demanded.

"No, it's not for her." Draco replied absently as the shop owner informed him of the ring's protective properties.

"Then why buy it?" Blaise asked in exasperation.

"No real reason…" Draco murmured before he changed the subject. He couldn't tell Blaise that the ring somehow reminded him of Harry.

*** * ***

That night at dinner, Lucius informed his son that his bride would be arriving the following week. "I expect that you will be ready for her arrival."

"Yes father." Draco replied, so gloomily that Severus chuckled and hugged the boy he considered his son. Draco smiled at his dad and hugged him back.

Lucius smiled too, but added. "Treat her with respect Draco, and everything will be fine."

"Yes father." Draco responded with the sinking feeling that the more people told him that 'everything will be fine' the more likely it was that it would blow up in his face.

*** * ***

Draco looked up from his book as Severus knocked and entered his room. "Hello Sev." Draco said with a smile. "What's up?"

Severus sat on the edge of Draco's bed. "Are you really okay with this?" he asked. "I love your father, but I can't understand why he insisted on seeing this marriage through, especially now that he knows of your preferences."

Draco smiled at his concerned step-father. "I'm okay with it." he said, closing his book. "Father's doing it out of respect for my mother, I think. At least, I think that's part of it. I also believe that the contract was pretty iron clad. I'm just glad that father was able to negotiate a refusal clause with her father."

Severus hugged him. "We'll support you, whatever decision you make."

Draco returned the hug, touched by the sentiment. "Thanks dad." He whispered, and Severus smiled. When they broke apart, Severus said. "I'm going to turn in. You?"

"No," Draco replied carefully. "I think I'll go for a walk."

Severus looked at him sideways. "You've been taking a lot of late night walks recently." He said slowly. "Anything we should know about?" he asked.

Draco shook his head. "Not at this point." He replied.

"Is there someone?" Severus queried.

Draco smiled faintly. "Maybe." He responded softly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was also being quizzed about Draco. "What happened?" Hermione and Lilanthe demanded together.

"Nothing really." Harry said. "We talked. Got to know each other, you know."

"What's he like?" Lilanthe asked. "I missed all the excitement!"

"He's very kind," Harry replied thoughtfully. "And very sweet. I know he won't hurt us. Not on purpose, at least."

"He's nice." Hermione added. "Although I think he's going to clash with Ron more than once." Harry smiled fondly and nodded.

Lilanthe studied him carefully. "You like him! You really like him!" she said, smiling at him.

Harry blushed, but shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. "I wouldn't go that far Lils." He replied quickly.

Lilanthe was about to argue when a voice interrupted them. "Leave him be girls." Sirius told them with a smile of his own. They laughed and got to their feet, running gracefully into the trees. Harry stood to join Sirius. "He seemed like a decent kid." The older dryad said cheerfully.

"Yes." Harry agreed.

Sirius threw an arm around his godson's shoulders. "Its okay to like him Harry." He told him seriously. "Just don't forget that he is human, and there is very little to be done about that."

Harry sighed. It was impossible to forget Draco's humanity regardless of his new found feelings for the young noble. It was the only reason that Harry refused to look more closely at his feelings. It just wouldn't work between them.

Sirius watched the younger dryad out the corner of his eye. He could see the battle being waged between Harry's head, and his heart, and no matter how hard the boy fought against it, his heart was winning by a mile, Sirius realised.

"Is he coming back tonight?" the Ash dryad asked.

Harry nodded. "I think so." He answered.

Deciding the boy needed to think about something else for a while, he steered Harry towards his tree. "In that case, how about dinner at our house then?" he said. "If you think you stomach Remus's eating habits."

Harry laughed then. "Sounds good Siri. Let's go!" he replied, glad for the abrupt change in subject. He could worry about Draco Malfoy later.

* * *

"Going out again Draco?" Blaise asked him curiously.

"Yes." Draco replied. "Just going for a walk."

"Another one?" Blaise asked. "You've been doing that an awful lot lately. Where do you go?"

"Just around the gardens." Draco lied, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Blaise narrowed his eyes at him. "No you don't." he said accusingly. "You're lying to me. I might not be able to pick the white lies, but I know when you're lying to me outright. Tell me the truth."

Draco shook his head. "I can't Blaise. I'm sorry." He said regretfully before disappearing out the door.

Blaise, annoyed by Draco's answer, waited a few moments before following his friend out. Looking around, he thought for a moment that he had lost the blond already, before he spotted Draco walking into the fringes of the forest. Blaise saw the other boy glance over his shoulder, and the dark skinned boy flattened himself against the manor wall to avoid detection. Peeking around the corner, he saw Draco vanish in to the forest.

Blaise contemplated following him, but decided against it. The forest gave him the creeps, and nothing was going to convince him otherwise!

* * *

And that, my friends, is the end of chapter 2! I know that not a lot happens in this chapter, mostly a lot of descriptive stuff, but its going to be fun from here on out, because Pansy arrives! Let the games begin!

If you like Lilanthe, please go and check out _The Witches of Eileanan_ series by Kate Forsyth. She is a brilliant Australian author and this is one of the best series I have ever read!

Be seeing you soon!


	4. Grandfather Oak

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay. I don't really have any excuse other than lack of will power! That, and an overload of new ideas spilling out of my head at inconvienient times of night! For those of you who read my Harry/Lucius fic, **Starting Over**, I am pleased to announce that I have started a sequel. I hadn't planned on writing one, until one reviewer pointed out that I had forgotten poor Remus and Sirius in the final chapters. After that, I found myself with brilliant ideas just waiting to be written! I hope you will be on the look out for it. It will be called **Of Darkness and Light**, although I have no clue when it shall be posted!

This chapter is dedicated to my cousin Adelle, who is totally awesome, and got me Kylie Chan autographs!!!! I love you Delzy!! Check out her fanfics here on ! Writing seems to run in the family!!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters.

* * *

**The Forest of Faeries**

**Chapter 3**

"**Grandfather Oak"**

**Albus's POV**

I find this whole situation to be entirely fascinating. The Malfoy child seems to be most taken with young Harry, and Harry too seems most taken with Draco. Not, it seems, that he would care to admit it aloud.

As the guardian of this part of the forest, it is my duty to protect its inhabitants, and I must confess to some worry over Draco's fiancé. My sources tell me that she's not exactly the nicest girl around.

What sources you might ask? Well then here is your answer my dear friends! I am what they call a leszi, a shape-shifting dryad that protects the forest and its people. I am however, not the same as young Lilanthe. My powers come from extreme age and wisdom, rather than from birth and parentage. My sources are others of my kind, those in other parts of the forest. They that border the Parkinson lands do not speak highly of the young mistress, who has not been raised to respect the forest as master Draco has.

I fear that this relationship between Harry and the young Malfoy heir will not end well. Harry has not yet experienced what it is that makes most of our kind so frivolous in their liaisons. I believe that he understands that he will far outlive Draco and even Draco's descendants, but the difference between that understanding and the comprehension that comes with the experience are two very different things indeed. It saddens me what Harry will have to endure before he truly understands what it is to be faery.

I sense someone in the forest, or rather two someones. One I am able to identify as Draco, but the other is not someone I recognise, and it is a mortal so I must investigate.

My investigation reveals a young man with dark skin and hair tailing Draco into the forest. He was far enough behind that master Malfoy hadn't realised he was being followed. Now that wouldn't do at all! Unless this stranger was accompanying master Malfoy, I could not allow him to enter the forest. I'll admit to being remiss when I allowed Draco to find the glade. I had recognised him as a Malfoy and had allowed him into the forest. Never had I expected that he would find the glade. I would not make that mistake a second time.

I waited in tree shape, hidden in shadows until Draco passed by me, and out of sight of the other boy. I shifted back as the boy came around the corner towards me, using my powers to confuse the boy on to a path of my choosing. It was most amusing to watch his confusion as another path appeared out of the fog almost before his eyes. Chuckling to myself, I used my powers to make him follow me. No doubt he thought it was still Draco he was trailing. Reaching the end of the trail, I concealed myself again, changing back into my tree shape. I laughed, which in tree shape results in quivering branches, as he looked around in shock. I had led him back out of the forest and into the grounds of Malfoy Manor! I heard him voice his confusion in a bewildered tone as he made his way back towards the manor. My work was done for now, but I had a feeling he would be back.

I was right. The following evening, I sensed Draco and the other boy behind him. Once again I led the boy back to the manor, I chortled loudly as he cursed and stormed back towards the manor. Even as I laughed I knew that this would be a regular occurrence for a while, although I suspected that it wouldn't be long before Draco gave in to his friend and allowed him to accompany him on his nightly visits to us. Personally, I was looking forward to it.

What can I say? I'm complicated! Now if you'll excuse me, there's a woodsman north of here cutting down a Rowan tree without permission, and I have some wrath to visit upon him!

* * *

**Normal POV**

A carriage pulled by two chestnut horses travelled briskly down the main street of the village. The villagers lined the streets, knowing that this had to be master Draco's fiancé. All were hoping for a glimpse of the girl who was to be their lady, but the drapes across the carriage windows stayed firmly shut.

Sandrilene, the village seamstress and the stitch-witch from whom Draco commissioned his attire, nudged the blacksmith's apprentice, a tall black girl in sturdy, soot smeared clothing. "Well Daja, this looks promising, doesn't it?" she said sarcastically.

"Yes." Daja replied wryly as the crowed dispersed with an ill-contented murmur. "Somehow I pity Draco."

"No wonder he doesn't want to marry her." Sandrilene said primly. "If she won't acknowledge us, her future subjects, she won't sit well with Draco at all!"

"Or with Lord Lucius and Master Severus." Daja added. "I'd love to know what happens up at the manor."

Sandrilene grinned. "We've got it covered, remember?" she reminded her friend.

Daja returned her grin. "Ah yes, I'm sure the manor servants will keep us posted."

*** * ***

Pansy Parkinson sniffed disdainfully as the village surrounding her future husband's manor came into view, and pulled the heavy curtains across the windows. This was nothing like the opulence of the town surrounding _her_ home. Still, she was positive that her future husband would more than make up for their dismal surroundings.

Pansy had grown up knowing she was going to marry Draco Malfoy. She had never laid eyes on him personally, and had only ever seen photographs of the young man that her mother had betrothed her to at birth. Ever since her mother had first given her a photograph of her intended, Pansy had been in love with him; or rather, in love with the idea of him. Not that she could tell the difference between the two. No, Pansy was convinced that she and Draco would be madly in love for the rest of their lives.

She didn't realise how short-lived her dream would be.

She arrived at the manor gates at precisely two 0'clock, and opened the curtains to watch as the coach pulled up the large driveway. From her seat she could see the Malfoys waiting for her arrival. Arriving at the bottom of the drive, she stepped out of the carriage with the assistance with her footman. Looking up, her eyes rested on Draco for the first time.

Draco shuddered as the girl ascended the steps, and forced himself to think of Harry. That made facing her easier; the mere thought of the dark haired dryad made his heart race and brought a smile to his lips. If Lucius and Severus noticed the abrupt change in his demeanour from where they stood on either side of him, they said nothing.

The girl curtsied gracefully. "Lord Malfoy, it is a pleasure to meet you at last." She said to Lucius.

Lucius returned her curtsey with a small bow of his return. "Miss Parkinson, the pleasure is all ours." He said, but Draco was fairly certain that was a blatant lie. He could've sworn he heard Severus snort under his breath. Getting a proper look at his fiancé, he could see she had a pug nose and a somewhat squashed face, set under a curtain of thin dark hair that hung loose around her shoulders, draped in what Draco assumed was supposed to be an alluring manor. Instead, it only served to make her look like something crossed between a prostitute and a banshee. Her heavy makeup only succeeded in completing the look. The mental image the thought produced made Draco want to snigger.

He was broken out of his disdainful appraisal of the girl by a sharp nudge to his ribs that came somewhat less than subtly from Severus. He copied his father's minute bow, and cringed as he spoke. "Miss Parkinson, it is an honour to meet you at last." He said politely, if a little distantly.

"I'm sure." She simpered, "As it is a pleasure to meet you too, Draco."

This time, Draco managed to suppress the shudder, but just barely. "If you will, my lady, I would like to show you around the manor." He offered belatedly, following another nudge to the ribs, from Lucius this time.

She giggled. He winced. Wonderful, a giggler. "I would be honoured." She said primly.

Reluctantly, Draco offered her his arm, picturing Harry once again as he lead the rather revolting girl into the manor.

Leading her into the lobby of the manor, he saw her look around with distaste, although she made no comment, for which he was eternally grateful. However, he knew it would only be a matter of time before she made some comment. He was aware that she only refrained from doing so because she was in the presence of his father, and it would be rather a large faux pas to insult the Malfoy ancestral home in front of the manor's lord. Unfortunately for Draco, his father took that moment to announce his leave. "If you will excuse me Miss Parkinson," he said cordially. "I have some work that I must attend to." He bowed to the girl, before turning towards his office and walking away, Severus followed him with a raised eyebrow in Draco's direction.

_They don't like her either._ Draco realised suddenly.

Climbing the stairs, Draco and Pansy met Blaise as he was coming out of his room. "Draco!" he greeted cheerfully, before noticing the girl beside him, "You must be Miss Parkinson." He bowed slightly, a sentiment she returned with an equally miniscule curtsey. "How do you find Malfoy Manor so far?" he asked her.

"It is an interesting place. But seems rather unexciting, don't you think?" she replied, and Draco suppressed the urge to smack her.

"On the contrary, Miss Parkinson, I find the Manor and the surrounding area to be quite beautiful." Blaise told her. "Especially compared to the moors where I grew up. Dreary, desolate place if you ask me."

Draco smiled gratefully at his best friend behind the girl's back, and saw the other boy's lips twitch upward in an almost imperceptible grin. Turning to the girl, Draco said. "Would you like to see the gardens, Miss Parkinson?"

The girl's nose turned up, crinkling in distaste. "I think not. I fear that the sun is bad for my complexion. Gardens are to be viewed only from windows."

_Gods!_ Draco thought. _Could this girl be any shallower?_ "In that case, perhaps I can show you to your rooms?"

"Yes." Pansy tittered. "I should like to freshen up before dinner."

_Never mind that dinner is hours away._ Draco thought wryly. He nodded to Blaise and escorted Pansy to the room the House Elves had prepared for her. "I shall see you tonight, Miss." Draco said politely.

Pansy giggled. "Indeed you shall." She replied coquettishly. She looked around the lands. "It's rather dreary here. When we're married, I'm going to brighten this place up!" she gushed. "I know we're going to be very happy together!" Draco shuddered, scared for the décor of the manor, and his family's sanity. No way in _hell_ was he marrying this superficial cow. Harry's face blazed through his mind once more, and for a brief moment, he entertained the thought of what it would be like to marry the beautiful young dryad.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, and after leaving Pansy at her door, he returned to his own room to find Blaise leaning against his door.

"So that's her." Blaise said. It was a statement, not a question.

Draco sighed. "That's her." He agreed grimly. He filled Blaise in on what she had said about their future.

"I guess I was wrong about her not wanting to marry you." Blaise commented.

Draco grimaced. "I would say that _that_ is the biggest understatement of the century!"

Blaise chuckled, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Yes, and I could tell that your fathers are just as _thrilled_ with her as you are. I got the distinct impression that Lucius would've liked nothing more than to put her on the first carriage home."

"Him and me both." Draco said wryly. "Did you hear her complaining about the décor? Her only saving grace was that father wasn't there to hear her."

"And you have all these gardens, and she couldn't have given a toss."

"Good." Draco said fiercely, thinking of Harry for the thousandth time that day. The gardens and the woods were theirs, keeping Pansy away was an added bonus. He put his hand in his pocket, his fingers closing on the ring box. He wondered when he'd gather the courage to give it to him, and felt a sudden desperate need to see the beautiful dryad.

"I'm going to go for a walk." He told his friend. "Clear my head a bit."

"I wish you'd tell me where you keep going every night." Blaise said, disgruntled.

"I can't tell you Blaise. Not yet, anyway." Draco replied. "And there's no sense in following me either." he added pointedly, and Blaise had the grace to look sheepish. "So you _will_ tell me eventually?" he asked.

Draco sighed. "Truthfully Blaise, I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you." He answered. "It's not really my secret to tell."

Blaise groaned. "Now you've _really_ got me curious!"

Draco laughed, and waved goodbye to his best friend before sneaking out of the manor and heading towards the forest.

* * *

Harry looked up and smiled the moment Draco entered the clearing, his smile becoming even tenderer when he saw the blond boy stop and speak with Neville. He was amazed at how well the Malfoy heir had assimilated with the Faeries of the Forest. It was like he was supposed to be here, with Harry.

Standing, the young dryad made his way towards the blond human a smile still gracing his features. His heart glowed when the taller man smiled back at him. Draco said goodbye to Neville, and followed Harry to a secluded corner of the glade, waving to Hermione, sitting over the other side with Ron and Lilanthe, as they went.

"So," Harry said after a moment. "Today was the day."

Draco nodded. "It was." he replied.

"How did it go?" Harry asked.

Draco groaned. "It was awful." He whimpered. "The girl is revolting."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the dramatic, rather disgusted look on Draco's face. "Surely she wasn't _that_ terrible?" he soothed.

"Oh, but she was!" Draco exclaimed, and proceeded to tell Harry about the entire disastrous day.

When he was done, Harry took his hand. "But you aren't really planning to marry her, are you?" he asked curiously.

"Gods no!" Draco shuddered. "I never had any intention of doing so!" Harry felt a strange sense of relief flood through him.

"The thing is," Draco said seriously, looking into Harry's vivid green eyes. "The only thing I could think about all day, was you." Harry gasped. "And when I was going to be able to see you again." Draco finished.

Harry was at a loss for words, so he simply smiled radiantly up at the blond, a gesture that took Draco's breath away. They sat together in silence for a long time, simply enjoying each other's company, and their close proximity.

* * *

Draco walked up the front stairs to Malfoy manor shortly before dawn, and was surprised to find his father waiting for him when he stepped into the Entrance Hall.

"Draco." Lucius greeted him.

"Father." Draco returned the greeting. The look in his father's eyes confused him; a look of understanding that made Draco wonder if his father knew what he was doing in the forest every night.

"You've been out late every night recently." Lucius said.

"I find it difficult to sleep." Draco replied.

"You should be careful in the forest Draco." his father told him gently.

"And why is that father?" Draco asked quietly.

"Things are different in the forest then they are out here, my son." Lucius said.

"I am aware of that father. I know what I'm getting into." Draco assured him.

"I merely remind you that time passes differently for them than it does for us." Lucius responded. "I do not wish to see you get hurt."

Draco had no doubt as to whom the _them _his father was referring to were. "Thank you father, I'll keep that in mind." He said simply.

"That's all I ask, Draco." Lucius replied. "Now get some sleep."

Lying in his bed fifteen minutes later, Draco could only think of Harry.

* * *

So? What does everybody think? Please leave a review. The next chapter will have more quality Harry/Draco time in it, as now I've gotten all the preliminary stuff out of the way! Look forward to hearing from you all!


	5. Grandmother Willow

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but here it is at last! This should have been up a couple of days ago, but I screwed up the computer! To all of those who might read this that are waiting for the next chapter of _What Do I Have to Do?_, I will get to it I promise, but I'm currently just trying to stick to one story at a time. I'm in a good place with this one at the moment, so hopefully that will push it along faster.

Without further ado, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters. They belong to JK Rowling, and Lilanthe belongs to Kate Forsyth**

* * *

**The Forest of Faeries**

**Chapter 4**

"**Grandmother Willow"**

**Minerva's POV**

I worry for these children. I fear that this relationship will not end well, as the chance of them staying together is not high. I've seen it all before, over the centuries. Draco's mortality hangs over them like a dark cloud, especially over Harry. Sometimes it is as if Harry is completely unaware of what he is feeling. It wouldn't surprise me at all; Harry is still young for a dryad, and naïve in a way that the others are not. Even Ron and Hermione, who are still young themselves, have adapted more easily to our way of life than Harry. This is just the way it is; some dryads are perfectly content with the carefree life most dryads lead. Arthur and Molly becoming a committed pair was a surprise to all of us, all those centuries ago, but not strictly a problem since they both are dryads. When faeries fall in love with humans, it hardly ever ends well. Sirius and Remus were lucky…

Harry seems reluctant to start a relationship with the Malfoy boy, yet at the same time seems irrevocably connected to him, as if joined by some mystic power that I have not seen before. I believe that he perhaps realises that any romantic relationship he might have with Draco will cause him pain, but I also believe that he doesn't quite comprehend how fleeting Draco's life will be, and just how long he will have to live without him.

I also fear for our safety. Not from Draco, but from the Parkinson girl. I worry about what she will do if, no, _when_ Draco refuses the engagement. I have heard unpleasant things about the girl from the Malfoy household faeries. The Brownies in particular dislike the girl immensely. I'd be wary if I were here. A disgruntled Brownie is not something you want to come across.

And of course, Albus is absolutely useless! He just sits there and smiles benevolently, assuring me that everything will work out for the best. What his idea of 'for the best' is, I can only imagine. His interpretation is anybody's guess! Had I not known him for so long I would wonder if he were clairvoyant. Of course, a dryad's power doesn't extend into the psychic, but you never can tell with Albus. Perhaps it is that smugly superior air he often has about him.

The other dryads share my concern. Lilanthe and Hermione are at loggerheads over the whole situation. Hermione, while she likes Draco immensely, believes that Harry should remain ignorant of his feelings and avoid pain later on. Lilanthe thinks Harry should understand fully both his feelings, and the pain of losing someone loved. She believes that age old adage of "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." I'm not sure I agree with her.

Ronald prefers to stay out of the girls' quarrel, but it is clear he has an opinion of his own. He is not overly fond of Draco. I think that he thinks that Draco is disturbing our peaceful, mythical existence in this forest and that he will eventually destroy Harry. However he seems to be rather conflicted, since it is obvious that at the same time that he only wants Harry, whom he sees as another brother, to be happy. Molly and Arthur have been playing mediator between their children's varying opinions; a lot of fights have broken out recently, and they seem to have little to say on the matter themselves. Sirius and Remus seem to be quietly staying out of the whole situation, which is unusual, especially for a loud mouth like Sirius. I can't help but wonder if they have something up their sleeves.

Still, I suppose I'll just have to watch, wait, and see what happens.

* * *

Pansy, Draco decided with an internal shudder, was without a doubt the most revolting woman he'd ever met. She had spent the last few weeks planning how she was going to redecorate the manor after the wedding. Currently, she was planning to turn the entire east wing into a nursery for their future children. No doubt tomorrow she'd be trying to turn the south wing into a menagerie.

Draco shuddered again at the thought of having children with Pansy Parkinson. _Not _a mental image he was comfortable with. The only thing that kept him sane during the day was thoughts of Harry, and the knowledge that he would be able to see his dryad that night.

He wished that he was able to see Harry during the day, but not only was Pansy following his every move, but even his father was getting suspicious of his nights out. Lucius would probably throw a fit if he knew how Draco truly felt about Harry; how completely opposite his feelings for Harry were to his feelings for Pansy. _"I love him!" _Draco realised suddenly, a bright grin spreading across his face. _"I am completely and unconditionally in love with him!"_ It was an amazing feeling, and the consequences of falling in love with a Faery never even crossed his mind.

"What's got you looking so happy, darling?" Pansy seemed to appear out of nowhere, a simpering smile on her face. Draco immediately schooled his features and pushed aside his burning desire to see Harry, and forced himself to smile back at the insipid woman. "Nothing at all Miss Parkinson." He said to her politely.

"Oh, Draco dear, won't you _please_ call me Pansy? We're going to be married after all." She wheedled. Draco fought back a sigh. _"Over my dead body!"_ he thought. "Of course, Pansy." He replied aloud, and she giggled. Draco steeled himself for the sound. It sounded like nails on a blackboard. Fixing a smile on his face, he offered the girl his arm and escorted her towards the dining room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of movement, and he turned abruptly to find the source. There, in the corner, disappearing through a small hole in the skirting board was some kind of Faery. Pansy, who had been forced to turn with him, scoffed. "Horrid, aren't they? Little rodents! Had them at home too. When I'm the Lady here, I'm going to fill in every bolt hole those Faeries have." She shuddered delicately. "My father wouldn't let me at home."

Draco's blood ran cold at her words. _"And I'm not about to let you do it here, either."_ He thought fiercely. Aloud he asked, with tightly controlled politeness, "Do you know what kind of Faeries they are?"

She looked at him as though he were insane. "No, I don't know, and nor do I care." She replied. "Horrible things, Faeries, don't you think? Not that I've seen many of course, not that I'd _want _to…" she prattled on, her words falling on deaf ears.

Draco remained silent. No, he _didn't_ think.

* * *

Harry couldn't explain why he felt so excited about seeing Draco that night, but he was restlessly pacing the Glade, waiting for the blond lordling to arrive. The three Naiads were watching him from the lake with amusement, wondering what had the young Hawthorn in such a state. Lilanthe, on the other hand, knew exactly what was bothering her friend. She walked over to Harry and touched his arm. When he looked at her, she said "You're waiting for him?"

Harry nodded. "I don't know why I'm so excited." He replied, looking adorably confused.

Lilanthe sighed. Boys could be so dense sometimes. "Walk with me Harry." she said, and he held out an arm for her, which she took with a smile. Arm in arm, they walked from the Glade.

"Tell me how you feel about Draco." Lilanthe told him after a few minutes of silence.

Harry looked at her strangely. "I don't understand." He replied, confused.

"What do you feel when you're near him?" Lilanthe explained.

"It's hard to describe. Harry answered slowly.

"Try." Lilanthe ordered with an encouraging smile.

"When I'm with him… I feel light headed, like I'm drunk on his very presence. If he touches me my heart beats faster and I feel like I've lost the ability to breathe properly." Harry said slowly, a small smile gracing his features.

"What about when he's not here?" Lilanthe asked.

"All I can think about is when he'll be back again. Everything seems darker when he's not around." Harry replied.

"And what do you think this all means?" Lilanthe asked. Harry opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "Think for a moment, before you speak Harry."

Harry did as he was told, and shut his mouth. He was silent for a long time, while Lilanthe waited patiently for him to reach the inevitable conclusion. The conclusion that Lilanthe herself had reached some weeks ago.

Finally, Harry looked up at her, a terrified look on his face. "I love him." He whispered. "I'm in love with Draco Malfoy."

Lilanthe smiled. "I'm glad. You've finally worked it out." Her smile faded. "Harry? What's the matter?" she asked.

"I can't love a human Lilanthe!" Harry cried. "Too much can happen! He's mortal and I am not. How will it ever work?"

"Harry!" Lilanthe chided him gently. "Forget for a moment that you are immortal and Draco is not. Think back to what I told you to do earlier. Forget about the consequences for a second and tell me how you _feel_." She told him.

Harry was quiet for a long time before he smiled. "Happy. I feel happy." He said wonderingly.

"Exactly." Lilanthe said, "Worry about the rest when the time comes. For now, just enjoy being in love."

Harry nodded happily, and then stilled. "He's here" he exclaimed. He was about to dash off when he turned back. "Thanks Lilanthe." He said.

She smiled. "You're very welcome." She replied. "Now go! He's waiting for you." Harry grinned and took off.

As Harry vanished into the trees, Albus materialised beside Lilanthe. "Are you sure that's wise," he asked the young tree-changer. "Allowing him to become aware of his feelings? Would it not have been better for him to remain ignorant, especially when any relationship they might have is doomed to fail in the end?"

"Better that he knows a real love, even if it means enduring the pain that comes with it." Lilanthe replied, stubborn conviction colouring her voice.

Albus grinned. "Good girl! I agree completely. Keep up the good work!" He was gone before she could respond.

Lilanthe grinned and rolled her eyes skyward. Trust Albus to leave all the hard work to someone else!

Harry raced to the edge of the forest, momentarily forgetting his worries. The moment he saw Draco his heart leapt, and instead of slowing down to meet the young human, he kept running, cannoning into the blond. "Whoa!" Draco laughed. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes!" Harry replied, snuggling unconsciously into Draco's embrace as the blond's arms went around him. "I'm just happy to see you, is all."

Draco smiled "I'm happy to see you too Harry." He told the small brunette. He couldn't resist leaning down and kissing the dryad's nose, making him giggle. "Can we walk around for a while?" Draco asked. "I want to tell you something." Harry nodded, and they set off into the forest.

"What did you want to tell me Draco?" Harry asked after a few long minutes of silence.

Draco took a deep breath, steadying himself before he began. "Harry, these last few weeks have been both the worst and the best weeks of my life. They've been the worst because of Pansy; the woman is a nightmare!" Harry and Draco exchanged a quick grin. Draco had spent much of the last few weeks ranting about Pansy Parkinson.

"But they've been the best because I met you." Harry looked up at him in surprise, and Draco brought his arm up to cup Harry's cheek in his hand. "Without you the whole mess waiting for me back at home would be completely unbearable. Harry, I love you."

Harry was stunned. Even having realised his own feelings for Draco, he had never even contemplated that Draco might return his feelings. For an instant, the complications and the impossibility of it all ran through his mind, but it was quickly pushed aside by the rush of joy and elation he felt at Draco's admission. "I love you too, Draco." Harry said simply.

Draco let out a bark of delighted laughter and pulled Harry into his arms. "I'm so glad!" he murmured, before drawing Harry into a warm kiss. Harry responded instantly, although a little hesitantly. He allowed Draco to lead him through the chaste kiss, and Draco could tell immediately that this was Harry's first. Not wanting to frighten Harry with too much, too soon, Draco pulled out of the kiss and smiled at the dryad. "Come on, lets go and find the others." He said. Harry returned his smile, stepped out of his arms, and led the way towards the glade.

* * *

Harry and Draco entered the glade hand in hand, and Lilanthe let out a cheer, throwing herself at them both in an ecstatic hug. "I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed, pulling away with a wide grin on her face. Draco grinned back at her and pressed a kiss to Harry's lips. They drew apart as they heard cat calls and wolf whistles from the lake. Draco looked over and saw Seamus and Dean grinning at them like lunatics, their tails swishing back and forth happily. Neville was smiling at them too, but there was a sense of sadness about him that made Draco curious. Hermione had approached to hug Harry, reassuring him that she only wanted him to be happy, regardless on her opinion on relationships with humans, but that she hoped he knew what he was doing. Draco carefully detached his hand from Harry's and made his way over to Neville.

He crouched on the lake's edge, beside the Naiad. "What's wrong Nev?" Draco asked.

Neville visibly tried to pull himself together. "I'm fine Draco. I'm happy for you." He replied, and this time he looked visibly happier when he smiled.

"I know you are Nev, but something's wrong; I can tell." Harry had somehow managed to escape Hermione's lecture, and come to join them by the lake, looking pointedly at his friend.

Neville sighed. "I've never been able to fool you Harry." he told the dryad with a wry smile.

"Nope, never. Now spill it!" Harry ordered with a smile of his own.

Neville's face fell. "I was just thinking about how I'm the only one without somebody." He explained. "Even Percy and the twins are seeing dryads from other areas."

"Lilanthe doesn't have a partner." Harry pointed out.

"No, but Lilanthe is content with that. She's not looking for anything lasting, not like I am."

An idea suddenly struck Draco. Neville was _exactly_ the type Blaise usually went for, at least in looks; and Neville was much cuter than any of the boys at the local inn. Personality wise, Neville was different to anyone Blaise had ever known, having long preferred to bed the louder, more outspoken boys. But Blaise had been tiring of those boys lately, and Draco had a feeling that Neville was what Blaise was looking for, whether he knew it or not.

"What's got you looking so smug?" Harry asked curiously. Draco simply smiled secretively and kissed his cheek. "Don't you worry love, it's all under control." He looked over to where Albus was sitting with Minerva. The ancient Dryad stared back at him, with the ever present twinkle in his eyes, and nodded. He knew what Draco wanted, and was giving him permission to do it. The elder Dryad hen spoke up. "Mr. Malfoy, I do believe it is time you returned to the manor."

Draco looked up and saw streaks of light entering the dark sky. "Your right, it's almost sunrise." He replied. He and Harry rose from their spot beside Neville, and Draco said his goodbyes.

Harry and Draco walked hand in hand back towards the edge of the forest, but a rustling in the undergrowth made Draco turn. Harry followed his gaze and smiled when a small dark skinned faery with wiry white hair and clad in a tiny green tunic and breeches emerged out of the heather. It was the same faery from that afternoon. "That's a Brownie." Harry explained at Draco's curious expression. "A household faery. There's probably a whole host of them inside the manor."

"What do they do?" Draco asked.

"Mostly they just watch." Harry replied. "Keep an eye on the occupants of the house they live in. Occasionally they help out with little things around the house too." Harry smiled and crouched low to the ground, holding out his hand for the Brownie, who chittered irately at him, but clambered on to his hand anyway, all the while chattering at Harry in his own language, which Harry seemed to be able to understand. Harry listened solemnly, before turning to Draco with a smile. "He says his name is Oscar." He told the blond.

"Oscar?" Draco asked, trying to keep a straight face.

The faery chittered again. "He says is name is Bellasvalainon, with translates roughly into Oscar, and that since his name is too hard to pronounce in full, Oscar is the closest a human will come to getting it right." Harry translated.

"I see." Draco replied, smiling. He approached the little guy in Harry's hand carefully, holding his own hand out. "OUCH!" Draco cried, snatching his hand back. "He bit me!" he said indignantly, as Harry giggled.

Suddenly, the Brownie grinned toothily at Draco and clambered from Harry's hand to Draco's, climbing up the blond's arm until he reached Draco's shoulder. "Huh." Harry said, surprised. "He likes you."

Draco grinned and pat the little faery on the head, laughing when the tiny creature pat his ear in return. "Well, I like him too." He said happily.

"If you want to know more about him, Minerva is the one to ask." Harry told him.

Draco smiled at the dryad. "I'll keep that in mind." He said, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on Harry's mouth. "I have to go." He said gently. "I will see you tomorrow night." He hugged Harry tightly.

Harry sighed and relaxed into his embrace. "What do you have in mind to help Neville?" Harry asked.

Draco chuckled and kissed Harry's nose. "It's a surprise." He smiled when Harry pouted, and expression that disappeared when Draco kissed him again. "Good night, my love." He whispered.

"Good night…" Harry was too dazed from Draco's kiss to point out that it was, in fact, nearly daylight. Draco watched until Harry vanished back into the trees, and then made his way back to the manor, a Brownie on his shoulder and a dreamy, happy look on his face.

* * *

Draco woke the next day to a loud chittering in his ear. Turning his head, he saw Oscar the Brownie standing on his pillow, looking aggravated. He understood why a moment later. Blaise opened his door and stepped hurriedly inside, closing the door quickly and quietly behind him. Draco noticed that Oscar had vanished into the bedclothes upon his best friend's appearance.

"Dray, it's past noon!" Blaise exclaimed. "Pansy's gone on a rampage! She thinks you've been out all night with some village girl!"

Draco groaned. "Wonderful." He said dryly.

"I tried to tell her it wasn't true, but the woman is completely insane!" Blaise continued. "She was all for coming up here and hexing you into oblivion!"

Draco swore and climbed out of bed, dressing quickly. "I can't wait until this is over and I can send her packing." He muttered.

'_I could marry Harry.'_ he thought suddenly, before pushing the thought firmly to the back of his mind. _'Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, shall we?'_ he reprimanded himself. "Where is she?" Draco asked aloud.

"Looking for your father." Blaise replied. "She's convinced the two of you are conspiring to get her removed from the house. It appears that she's finally picked up on the fact that your father can't stand her."

"Well she's half right I suppose." Draco scoffed. "We both want her out of the house, but there's no need to conspire against her; she'll be gone regardless when the courtship period ends."

"Can we worry about the present please?" Blaise snapped. Then he grinned. "Of course when I said she was looking for Lucius, what I really meant is that he's hiding in the stables, trying desperately to avoid her."

Draco laughed. "Well, he certainly picked the best place to hide. She hates horses!" he sobered. "Better go tame the beast I suppose." He sighed. "I'll see you later." He dashed out of the room with Blaise calling out a farewell behind him.

* * *

Draco somehow managed to placate Pansy; even he wasn't entirely sure how he did it. As it was he was forced to spend the day with her, 'touring the village' as she put it. Naturally, the girl refused to leave the carriage to actually _meet_ any of the villagers, scowling whenever one would call a greeting to Draco, who would smile and return the salutation. She got out only to meet Sandrilene, whom, she reasoned, would be making all her clothes as the future Lady Malfoy. The pug faced girl reminded Draco that she deserved the best, and that only the best seamstress in the village would suffice.

For all that she in reality saw very little of the village, the trip nevertheless seemed to make her happy, and it meant that Lucius could stop hiding in the stables!

Later that night an exhausted Draco flopped on to his bed, glad that the day was finally over. He felt both physically and emotionally drained, and was counting the moments until he could go and see Harry. Oscar the Brownie had already become a constant companion, although he had made himself scare whenever Pansy was around. Draco wished fervently that he was as adept at hiding from her as Oscar was.

His musings were interrupted by Blaise entering his room. "Well, nice save, I've got to say." He said with a grin. "I thought she was going to kill me this morning." He grimaced. "Either that, or start breathing fire."

Draco chuckled, sitting up and rubbing his hand tiredly over his face. "You should've seen the look on Sandry's face when I introduced Pansy to her. She looked about as thrilled about it as me!"

Blaise looked at him seriously. "It'll all be over soon Dray." He said, and then sighed. "I'll have to return home soon. Mother wants me to come home and see her before she packs me off to University."

The idea of Blaise returning home and leaving him virtually alone with Pansy was not a pleasant one. Draco stood. "I think I'll – "

"Go for a walk?" Blaise finished, disgruntled. "I wish I could go with you!"

Draco grinned smugly to himself as he opened the door. He looked back at Blaise over his shoulder and asked, "Well? Are you coming or not?" before turning and heading out of his room. Blaise stood, momentarily stunned, before chasing after Draco, a large grin on his handsome face.

* * *

Harry met the two boys at the entrance to the forest, smiling joyfully at Draco who, to Blaise's surprise, walked up to the brunette boy and kissed him tenderly.

"Mmm… hello." Draco said when he pulled away.

"Hello to you too!" Harry giggled. He looked over at Blaise. "Who's your friend, Draco?" he asked, a little warily.

"This is Blaise Zabini, he's my best friend." Blaise gave the strange boy a small bow. "Blaise, this is Harry." Harry smiled and waved cautiously. "Harry is a dryad that lives in the forest." Harry glared at Draco, who mouthed something to him that Blaise didn't catch. However, it seemed to mollify Harry, because his smile was back.

As Harry led them deeper into the Forest, Blaise said to Draco. "He's the reason you're out here every night isn't he? You're in love with him."

"Very much so." Draco replied, a smile unlike anything Blaise had ever seen gracing his features. "You're not concerned with the fact that he's a dryad?" he asked.

"Hey, my family's estate is on the forest border too. I know about them." Blaise replied. "You know the consequences, and you are prepared for them. Just be as happy as you can, for as long as you can. That's all I can say."

"Thanks Blaise." Draco smiled.

"Any time mate, any time." His friend replied. Suddenly, recognition dawned in Blaise's eyes. "The ring!" he whispered, voice lowered so Harry couldn't hear them. "You bought it for him!"

"Yes." Draco answered, his smile turning dreamy.

"Did you give it to him yet?" Blaise asked.

"No, not yet." Draco sighed. "It's too early for that."

"_Damn!_" Blaise commented. "I can't _believe_ that I'll have to go home before this pans out!" Draco chuckled. He had a feeling Blaise would change his mind about going home before the night was over.

"We're here!" Harry called happily, and Draco heard Blaise gasp, and knew that the black boy was as stunned by the beauty of the Glade as he had been.

The dryads emerged from the trees before Harry had a chance to call them. Introductions were made, and Albus shook Blaise's hand heartily. "Well my boy, I must say you gave me quite the run around! Good fun it was too!" He chortled.

Blaise narrowed his eyes at the old man. "It was you!" he accused. "You're the one who kept leading me back to the manor!" Albus merely continued to chuckle gleefully.

Blaise immediately hit it off with Fred and George. "He always did have a strange sense of humour." Draco muttered wryly to Harry, who giggled.

Finally, Draco and Harry led Blaise towards the lake, where he could see Seamus and Dean sitting amongst the rocks, watching the newcomer with interest. After he introduced the two naiads, Draco asked, "Where's Nev?"

"Oh, down the bottom somewhere." Seamus replied in his thick Irish accent, gesturing towards the middle of the lake. "He can't find his toad again. You know what he's like; he still hasn't found those spare harp strings he lost last week!" The four of them shared a grin.

Suddenly, Neville broke the still surface of the lake, his tail swishing as he pulled himself up next to Dean. "Did you find him?" Harry asked.

Neville nodded. "Yeah, swimming around down the bottom of the lake." He replied with a smile.

Draco realised that Blaise had not taken his eyes off the youngest naiad since Neville had emerged from the water. He smirked as he introduced them. "Blaise Zabini, this is Neville. Neville, this is Blaise Zabini; he's my best friend." Draco smiled encouragingly at Neville.

For a moment, Blaise simply stared at the adorable naiad, as he struggled to find something to say. Well, _this_ was new. Blaise had never been at a loss for words before. It was a pleasant change, Draco decided with a smug grin. He nudged a still silent Blaise sharply in the ribs.

Snapping out of his stunned reverie, Blaise smiled charmingly at the pretty creature in front of him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Neville." He told the naiad, reaching out to grasp his hand and lifting it so he could brush a kiss across the boy's fingers. Neville blushed, and Harry could barely contain his delighted laughter. Oh, but his Draco was a clever one!

"Come on," Draco murmured in his ear, making him gasp. "Let's leave them alone. We'll have to get back to the manor soon."

Hand in hand, Draco and Harry left the two alone to talk; Draco with a smug smirk of satisfaction, while Seamus and Dean left the lake to speak to Ron and Hermione.

Sitting together under a tree, Harry asked suddenly. "Draco?"

"Yes love?" Draco replied with a soft smile.

"What's going to happen with us?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Draco enquired, confused.

"I mean, I'm immortal, and you're mortal. Please don't misunderstand me, I love you with all my heart, but I'm scared. I don't want to lose you."

Draco sighed. He had suspected that Harry would be worried about this. And he had every right to be; there would be no easy way in this relationship. He wrapped his arms around the dark haired dryad. "It can't be helped." He said honestly. "One day I shall grow old and die while you live on. The same is true for Blaise and Neville, should they start a relationship." He heard Harry sniff, and tilted the smaller boy's head up. "Don't cry love." He told the emerald eyed boy. "We don't have to worry about it today, tomorrow, a year from now or even _ten_ years from now, so let's just enjoy being in love."

Harry rubbed his eyes furiously, stopping his unshed tears, and snuggled into Draco. "I won't be able to live without you." He whispered.

"You'll never have to." Draco replied gently, holding Harry tighter. "Because even when I'm dead and gone, I'll be in here." He rested his hand on Harry's chest, over his heart. "As long as you remember me, and love me in some way, I'll never leave you. Okay?"

Harry nodded, and smiled. Draco was right. They had time. Still, he couldn't quite dispel the knowledge that life without Draco would be no life at all. Could he in all consciousness allow a relationship that was doomed from the beginning to continue further? Harry couldn't help but feel that perhaps it would be smarter to end his association with Draco before he got in too deep. But his heart told him that it was too late, and he already was.

*** * * ***

An hour later, Draco detached himself from a dozing Harry and kissed him awake. "I have to go." He murmured, kissing Harry's lips.

"Okay, I'll take you." Harry replied, sitting up groggily.

Draco shook his head, smiling tenderly at his love. "No, you stay here and get some sleep. I didn't want to wake you, but I wanted to say goodnight." He smiled, and kissed Harry's nose affectionately. "Go find your tree and get some rest."

Harry giggled. "My tree doesn't move, you know. It's _rooted_ to the ground." He pointed out cheekily.

Draco grinned. "You know what I mean!" he scolded playfully. He kissed Harry one last time. "Goodnight love." He whispered.

"Goodnight Dray." Harry replied, stifling a yawn. He waved sleepily to Draco before allowing Lilanthe to lead him in the direction of his Hawthorn tree.

Sighing at just how adorable Harry was, Draco called to Blaise. "C'mon, we've got to get back. I'll ask one of the others to take us back."

"I'll take you." Neville offered shyly, smiling at Blaise.

Draco smiled. "That would be great Nev, thanks." He replied, not missing the grateful look Blaise sent him.

He could see Blaise's astonishment when Neville's tail morphed into a pair of legs as it left the water. "_He must have missed Seamus and Dean's exit; too busy staring at Nev."_ He chuckled internally. He remembered how shocked he had been the first time he'd seen it.

Neville led them back to the edge of the forest, blushing furiously whenever Blaise spoke to him. That blush deepened when, as the trees faded into cultivated gardens, Blaise kissed his hand again as they said their farewells.

After Neville had disappeared from view, there was a long silence as, in the early dawn light, the two snuck their way back into the manor. Draco was dying to ask his friend what he had thought of Neville, but held himself in check, waiting for Blaise to tell him himself. It had been more than obvious that the tall black boy had liked the little naiad, but just how much, Draco wasn't sure.

Finally the silence was broken when Blaise said suddenly. "I think I'll owl mother and inform her that I will be staying here for the rest of the summer."

Draco grinned as they entered the main foyer of the manor. "So you like him then?" he asked mildly.

"_Like_ him? Oh, Draco! He's the most amazing person I've ever met! He's so sweet and lovable and –"

"All right, all right!" Draco chuckled, cutting him off. "I'm happy that you like him, and it was pretty clear that he liked you just as much."

"You think so?" Blaise asked worriedly. "What if you're wrong? What if he hated me?"

Draco had to stifle more laughter as he watched Blaise fret over whether or not the young naiad truly liked him. It was the first time that the blond young man had ever seen his best friend so utterly fascinated by one particular boy. Up until now, Blaise had been the type of man whose bed was never warmed by the same partner two nights running. Draco was glad that Blaise's roving days seemed to be over. Neville would be good for him.

"Trust me Blaise," he said at last, "he _definitely_ didn't hate you."

Blaise heaved a sigh of relief. "I hope not." He replied fervently.

Draco grinned. "Get some sleep my friend. We can go back and see our boys tomorrow night."

Blaise nodded, and waved vaguely at Draco as he headed towards his room in a daze, all the while murmuring to himself, "I'll owl mother tonight, and that way she should get it by the end of the week…" he was still at it as the door closed behind him.

Finally, Draco gave in, bending over as the laughter bubbled from his lips.

* * *

Despite his tiredness, Harry found himself unable to sleep. Comfortably ensconced in the branches of his beloved Hawthorn tree, the young dryad was wide awake. His mind wandered inexorably back to his conversation with Draco under the trees; about their relationship. While Draco was right, and they did have time, they didn't have forever, and it weighed on Harry's mind. He was the only one with the luxury of forever.

Distressed by these thoughts, Harry left his treed and went for a walk, tip toeing past Lilanthe so as not to wake the tree-changer girl. He wandered through the forest, lost in thought until he was jolted out of his reverie by a voice. "Harry?"

The dryad spun around and saw Remus standing there. Finally taking notice of his surroundings, Harry realised that he was standing barely a few feet from Remus's home.

Remus's home was a small cottage made from wood donated from local dryads. It was warm and inviting, and surrounded by the Earth magic of the forest. Remus grew a little herb garden in front of the cottage, all set out in the proper fashion; with lavender and sage by the garden gate for protection.

The reason Remus lived in this little cottage was because he wasn't a dryad, he was a werewolf. He had chosen to live in the forest after he met and fell in love with Sirius. Werewolves were known to live longer than humans, and even some wizards, if they survived the monthly transformations and the emotional trauma of all that lycanthropy entailed. However Remus had been with Sirius longer then Harry could remember, and often wondered if all werewolves lived as long as Remus.

Remus seemed to sense Harry's distress. "Come on inside Harry, and tell me all about it." he walked Harry up the garden path to the cottage, knocking on the trunk of a large Ash tree as he passed.

Remus sat Harry down at his scrubbed kitchen table, and had just placed a steaming mug of herbal tea in front of the young Hawthorn dryad when Sirius came through the open front door, tousled from sleep. He'd clearly been sleeping in his tree rather than in Remus's bed, which is where he usually slept. Sometimes a dryad just needed to stay with their tree. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily. "I was having the most wonderful dream, Remy, about the time we –"

"Siri!" Remus cut him off, blushing profusely as he glared at his lover. "Harry is here!"

Sirius finally registered Harry's presence. "Hey kiddo! What's the matter?" he asked, concerned.

It was as if a dam broke inside him, because Harry found himself pouring out all his fears about his relationship with Draco. Sirius and Remus listened to his babbling until he fell silent. Quiet settled for a moment as the older men contemplated what to say. Finally, he silence was broken when Sirius said. "Harry, have you ever wondered why Remus has lived for so long? Even for a werewolf, he's lived an unnaturally long life." Sirius began. Harry nodded slowly. He had often wondered how Remus had loved easily as long as Sirius, when most adult werewolves fell victim to the strain of transformation and were lucky to reach fifty.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, I'm going to tell you a story." He said. "The story of how Remus and I met."

"You've told me that story before. Remus saved your life, right?" Harry responded.

"Yes, but that's not all there is too it." Sirius said with a find smile for Remus.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously.

Remus sighed. "I'd really rather Sirius hadn't mentioned this, but now that's he's started, there's no going back." He grumbled. "It's such a long shot that I didn't want you to get your hopes up."

"Will you just tell me already!" Harry demanded.

"Harry, there's a legend." Sirius said bluntly. "And it's the reason Remus is still alive."

Harry stared at his Godfather. "Tell me everything." He said.

* * *

Well, there you have it. I hope everybody enjoyed it. I have started the next chapter, which will be entirely from Sirius's POV. Until then, please R&R!


End file.
